Oil and natural gas can provide _________ times the energy as an equal mass of wood.
wood
The heat content of one gallon of fuel oil roughly equals that of 41 kWh of electricity, 137 cubic feet of natural gas, 1.5 gallons of propane, 17.5 pounds of air-dried wood,
Don't know about equal mass, but I hope this helps.
To find out how many times the energy oil and natural gas can provide compared to wood, we need to compare their energy densities. The energy density is the amount of energy stored per unit mass.
First, let's determine the energy density of oil and natural gas.
The energy density of oil is typically around 35.8 megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg). This means that 1 kilogram of oil contains 35.8 megajoules of energy.
The energy density of natural gas varies depending on its composition but ranges from 45 to 53 megajoules per cubic meter (MJ/m³). To compare it to the energy density of oil, we need to convert it to a per kilogram basis.
Natural gas has an approximate average density of about 0.7 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³). Therefore, the energy density of natural gas per kilogram is around 64.3 to 75.7 megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg).
Now, let's determine the energy density of wood. The energy density of wood can vary depending on the type and moisture content. On average, dry wood has an energy density of around 16 to 20 megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg).
To find the ratio of energy provided by oil and natural gas compared to wood, we can divide their energy densities:
For oil: 35.8 MJ/kg ÷ 16 MJ/kg = 2.24 times the energy of wood (approximately)
For natural gas: 64.3-75.7 MJ/kg ÷ 16 MJ/kg = 4.02-4.73 times the energy of wood (approximately)
Therefore, oil can provide approximately 2.24 times the energy as an equal mass of wood, while natural gas can provide approximately 4.02 to 4.73 times the energy as an equal mass of wood.